More Israeli blockade challenges planned

It appears every pro-Palestinian activist group of more than two people is planning on staging a run at the Israeli blockade of the Gaza strip. The ostensible reason is to get much needed supplies and humanitarian aid to the Palestinians living in Gaza.

“We want to break the Gaza occupation and end the occupation of the West Bank as well,” Kate Katzenstein-Leiterer, a member of the executive committee of the European Jews for a Just Peace, which is organizing the mission, told SPIEGEL ONLINE. “We as Jews want to bring the Palestinians something other than bombs.”

It is always interesting to see such groups elide past the reason for the blockade and lay all the violence on the Israeli side. Certainly not surprising. In fact, it is necessary to develop the false premise that this is all Israel’s fault.

The ship, whose current location in the Mediterranean is being kept secret, will be carrying school supplies, musical instruments, children’s clothing and “stuff for children that Israel has forbidden, such as sweets and chocolates.”

Here’s the irony. In fact there’s a lot of irony here. One, there is rampant unemployment in Gaza. But, when there are certain items embargoed, Gazan Palestinians have started businesses to make up for that. When embargoed items are smuggled in, they put those businesses out of business. This isn’t an argument for continuing to embargo sweets, it is an acknowledgment of the impact of doing so.

Irony two. They could land all of that intact in Egypt and have it shipped through the Egyptian border with Gaza without a single confrontation with the Israelis. So this isn’t about “humanitarian aid” or bringing the Palestinians “something other than bombs”. That way is clear.

This is obviously about confrontation, publicity and attempting to embarrass Israel.

The final irony is that Egypt might not be as open to their shipment as one might imagine. After all, it is a boat load of Jews we’re talking about here.

Israel was founded on a notion of collectivism — that is part of what being “the Jewish state” entails. If not for the idea of a collective identity of being Jewish, there would be no Israel. But in this case, the Israeli government needs to seriously consider some kind of change in the blockade. It’s not working, and obviously giving opponents of Israel and cheap and easy way to embarrass and isolate the Israeli government. The US and the EU can help Israel find a middle ground. In exchange, both the US and states of the EU would oppose rogue blockade runners. The Palestinians would get supplies, but there could be checks in place to prevent bombs from arriving — a win win.

How can they be more effective when they are dealing with an entity that wants to see them destroyed? Why must the burden fall on them? Why not Hamas or those that support the destruction of Israel? Why doesn’t Hamas change?

“Collectivism” in the Nockian sense, not “we’re all in this together”. Collectivism as in communism, socialism, fascism…you know…what you support, Scott.
“It isn’t working…international cooperation…bad PR ju-ju…blah, blah, blah…”
Israel should not turn over its defense to the tender mercies of the EU…OR to Obama. The Palestinians DO get supplies, or are you contending the are not?

I was going to say, “Stop playing dumb”…but realized you are not playing.
The ‘isms” to which I refer are BIG GOVERNMENT ideologies…that you support. Yes, fool, a charity is a from of VOLUNTARY socialism (or spreading the load of life’s vicissitudes over a larger group, as is insurance). We are not talking about that, but the collective that you and Obama support.
And, BTW, the Israeli blockade is being effective, which is why it is being attacked.

Docjim;
Not only does it work…with people like Erp…but is seems to impose NO cost!
With people who are not craven, it just makes us resolved to fight this medievalism.
Frankly, I am more than convinced that Erp’s calibrated “middle way” is merely a facade. I think his real agenda is manifestly anti-American and anti-Israeli, like his messiah.

You miss the point — Israel is hurt by these tactics. That’s why a change is necessary — they are giving their opponents an easy way to isolate them and embarrass them. You gotta deal with the world that IS, not the world you think ideally should be. Israel is giving its opponents a cheap way to hurt it; it’s not in Israel’s interests to continue the policy in this form. The Palestinians already getting supplies makes it even more in Israel’s interest to change their approach.

“…they are giving their opponents an easy way to isolate them and embarrass them. ”
Huh. I thought we established yesterday that there are no “easy” victories in complex systems.
“The Palestinians already getting supplies makes it even more in Israel’s interest to change their approach.”
This signals severe brain damage.

In exchange, both the US and states of the EU would oppose rogue blockade runners.

>>>> You mean with OUR own warships? Oh yeah, no issues there. So what happens when Iran decides to send a blockade runner w/ escort? And you expect the EU to enforce anything? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA yeah I’m just SURE that no bombs would ever get past the EU – good luck with that.

Erb Yesterday – US weak, Iran Mighty. We give Iran what it wants, confrontation, they are seen as being attacked, they win. Blah blah blah. US stretched thin, unable to project power, weak in the Middle East.

Erb Today – US and EU oppose rogue blockade runners. (And there, again, is his sudden reliance on the United States Militaryto enforce one of his plans. The military which is too large, and at which Europe laughs (lol) because of all the money the United States spends upon it…and he wants to use it….how cute…..)
What exactly is a “rogue blockade runner?” That implies there are acceptable blockade runners….who would they be?
And this middle ground. Would that be a middle ground that accommodates Hamas? the illegal government of Gaza, the one who’s stated goal is the destruction of Israel. What is the middle ground for “Israel must be destroyed”, would it be somewhere between “Kill all the Jews in Israel” and “Let them all go live somewhere else?” Sort of a “let all the survivors live” kind of thing?

Tony Blair has been proposing something feasible. You seem to be delving in vague prejudices. Also, you tend to really misunderstand arguments, as if they are too complex for you. Iran mighty? No. The US weak? No. The US military enforcing this? Again, no. The US and the EU would support it when Israel would stop ships that don’t go through official channels — in other words, when something happens like last week, Israel will have US and EU support. And, of course, the goal is to either change or weaken Hamas so that you can have a viable Palestine alongside a secure Israel. You really need to educate yourself on the details of the politics in this region.

Another condescending puke-fest that shows you know less than you sneeringly assert others know. Do you even read the crap you write?
“In exchange, both the US and states of the EU would oppose rogue blockade runners.”
With what, sharp dialog? Any blockade runner is a “rogue”, dope!
What you suggest is that…for some concession…Israel should be provided the accord and respect from the free world it now has every right to. Why? How many times does a right have to be purchased?

Gaza, a Palestinian coastal enclave, has remained largely isolated since it came under the control of Hamas, which has refused to accept the conditions set by the so-called quartet of Middle East peacemakers — the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia. The conditions include renouncing violence, recognizing Israel’s right to exist and accepting previous signed agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Sums it up nicely.
“The US military enforcing this? Again, no. The US and the EU would support it when Israel would stop ships that don’t go through official channels — in other words, when something happens like last week, Israel will have US and EU support. ” – what does that mean, what is OUR mission in your planned ‘support’. Are we expected write nasty letters to blockade violators after the Israelis let them run the blockade?

The object of the blockade is to prevent ships from bringing weapons to Hamas. Israel is stopping the ships from bringing weapons to Hamas. How is ithe blockade not working?

“In exchange, both the US and states of the EU would oppose rogue blockade runners. The Palestinians would get supplies, but there could be checks in place to prevent bombs from arriving — a win win.”

In exchange for what?
What precisely is a ‘rogue’ blockade runner?
What does ‘oppose’ mean? If it is the same as stopping, that is already being done., and why should we get involved? Putting US forces in face-to-face confrontation with middle eastern extremists is hardly a ‘win’ for the US.

Sometimes I wish the response to each rocket attack was a battery 6 of radar directed counter battery fire. Eventually anyone slepping a rocket around would be put down as soon as they were seen.Pour l’encouragement d’les autres.

Apropos the illimitable stupidity of people…THE WEEKLY STANDARD has learned that senior Obama administration officials have been telling foreign governments that the administration intends to support an effort next week at the United Nations to set up an independent commission, under UN auspices, to investigate Israel’s behavior in the Gaza flotilla incident. The White House has apparently shrugged off concerns from elsewhere in the U.S. government that a) this is an extraordinary singling out of Israel, since all kinds of much worse incidents happen around the world without spurring UN investigations; b) that the investigation will be one-sided, focusing entirely on Israeli behavior and not on Turkey or on Hamas; and c) that this sets a terrible precedent for outside investigations of incidents involving U.S. troops or intelligence operatives as we conduct our own war on terror.

1. We’ve been seeing lately some pretty concrete demonstrations of the left’s obsession with politics over results or even reality.

—- Lefties excoriate AZ for their “racist” illegal immigrant law… even though they haven’t read it, it mirrors FEDERAL law, and AZ has a terrible problem with cross-border crime

—- Lefties are more concerned with Imeme striking the right emotional tone than actually containing / cleaning up the Gulf oil spill

—- Lefties running the blockade are obviously more concerned with trying to embarrass Israel than they are with trying to help the Palis in Gaza

2. Expecting people who share some identity trait (skin color, ethnicity, religion) to also share the same values is absurd. Jews in America and Europe do not necessarily support their coreligionists in Israel any more than Christians in America and Europe support their coreligionists in Syria or Indonesia.

Words not merely as important as actions, but more important than actions. Say the right things, then execute homosexuals, liberals can barely be aroused to weakly condemn those people if backed into a corner by someone.